Tiny Samosas

There is a tiny sweets and savories stall on my way back home from work. Everyday, as I walk past it, the smell of these samosas being fried is pure torture to me. I am torn between hunger and the feint attempt at self-preservation.

For years I’ve wanted to make these tiny samosas and today I finally found the time!

I found a recipe online but the dough-filling propotion was high, so I’ve adjusted and modified the recipe a bit here.

Tiny Samosas

You will be needing

For the dough

– 1 cup of all purpose flour (maida) – A generous pinch of salt – 1/2 tsp of semolina (sooji or rava) – 1 tbsp of oil, this so the dough is less sticky and more pliable to form the cone – About 1/4th cup of lukewarm water to knead the dough. Adjust as necessary.

– Prepare the dough by mixing the flour, salt, oil, and lukewarm water. – Knead well till it becomes smooth, and non-sticky.Cover with a damp tea-towel and set aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the filling: -In a pan, heat the oil, add the cumin seeds and wait till they sizzle. – Then reduce the flame to medium heat and add the onions and wait till they turn translucent pink. – Add the dry ground spices and cook till the spices turn fragrant in the oil. – Add the mashed potatoes and the cooked green peas and saute over a low flame till the vegetables absorb the spices. – Add salt and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and add the chopped coriander. Stir well. – Set aside to cool.

To assemble the samosas Divide the dough into four portions. Take one portion. Step 1: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle thick enough to shape into a cone (I’d say roughly around 2 mm). Step 2: Cut it with a knife into two halves (semi-circles). Step 3: Take one half, set aside the other. Step 4: Fold one side of the semi-circle, with the flat end towards you. Step 5: Fold the other side, likewise, closing the two ends as to leave no gap. Step 6: You should now have a cone, ready to fill

Ok, the diagram looks bad but the logic holds!

– Now that you have a cone, fill it with the vegetable mixture that is now cooled to room-temperature. Never stuff hot filling into any pastry dough. It will condense after you seal it, and spoil sooner. Ever worse are the oil splatters when you try deep frying it.

– Make sure that the dough (except the one you’re trying to fashion into a cone) is covered with a damp cloth at all times.

– Once you’ve filled the cone, seal with using a little water brushed on the insides of the cone’s mouth. Make sure all ends are sealed, otherwise the stuffing will slip out while deep frying.

– When all the cones are ready, heat oil over a medium heat. – Deep fry the samosas till golden brown. – Serve hot with ketchup!